2010/04/05

An illusion that everyone has

Paulo said...

Everyone argues that "okay, you have a bigger salary but the cost of living is MUCH HIGHER". This as we say in Portuguese is "atirar areia para os olhos" (throwing sand at someones eyes) and it's an illusion that everyone has. I agree the cost is higher, but not that higher unless you compare Lisbon with London. However, compare Lisbon with Stockholm, Berlin or Paris - maybe we'll have different conclusions....Personally, I don't think about going back. I might leave Sweden, but there's more of the world to experience. 31 March 2010 10:48

Pedro M said...

After graduation I had my first industry experience working in Portugal. Then I worked for a german company and since then I continued my career in the north of Europe.

Even if the wages were the same I would still prefer to work abroad because, in my opinion, the ethics and work culture in Portugal are an obstacle to achieving results and producing quality work.

There are too many people in the wrong positions and too many decisions based on friendships and self-interests. In this environment a lot of effort is needed to lobby our work, at the end it is more politics than engineering, it results in frustration and low quality results. A shift in work culture is needed, before it becomes a good option to work in Portugal. 3 April 2010 20:01

Note: housing in portugal is expensive as German but minimum wage (in Portugal) is less than 400 euros/month! Meanwhile the Ceo of the portuguese EDP got more than 3 million euros (annual wage plus extras)... So, we pay for electricity (as for telecommunications, etc *) more than germans do. Welcome to the portuguese "free" market!

* if I going to list staff that is more expensive in portugal than abroad it will be endless.